


What stays and what fades away...

by TaliesinJoan



Category: Hawkeye (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Avengers: Infinity War Spoilers!, Basically Everyone Needs a Hug, Because of reasons!, Deaf Clint Barton, Fix-It, Gen, Genderfluid Loki (Marvel), God I hope I have all the important names tagged, Haven't decided on pairings yet, Honestly! We need Clint in this, Hurt/Comfort, I don't know how to write fix-it stories..., I'll add more taggs when I think of them, I'll follow the plot of the film loosely, Magic, Major spoilers!, Panic Attacks, Slow Burn, Team as Family, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Still Has Arc Reactor, as you can see, like really, lots of magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-04-30 06:15:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14490612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaliesinJoan/pseuds/TaliesinJoan
Summary: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR!Continue only if you've seen the film... If not, go buy tickets NOW!!Before Thanos entered the asgardian ship, Heimdall send them all away... Their people are save, but Thor, Loki and Bruce are now on earth, trying to hide the tesseract from Thanos and warn the world about what is to come...With more time on their hands, the Avengers start to prepare in order to bring the fight to Thanos, before he is to powerfull for all of them together...





	1. Chapter 1. I may end up failing too...

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Majinie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Majinie/gifts), [HikariYumi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HikariYumi/gifts).



> Hey everyone... I saw the Infinity War film this weekend and honestly, I couldn't let that stand! We need fix-it stories, so I thought I should write one!  
> This is basically how I think the story would have turned out when Loki had survived Thanos attack on the ship and went directly to earth with Thor and Bruce, still carrying the tesseract.  
> I hope you like the idea and I really hope my english is not too bad... I'm not a native speaker, but I'm studying British english at university at the moment, so let's hope for the best...  
> I will also put a warning for each chapter, just if some of you are not comfortable with some topics.  
> Oh and the chapter names are always from songs... Just if you're wondering. The first one is from "Numb" by Linkin Park.
> 
> Some of you might also have noticed the tagg "Hell daughter of Loki"... I know, Hell was introduced as Thor's half sister in the last film, but honestly, I couldn't stand that idea. In the mythology Hell is one of Loki's children and I always loved to write her, so she will be in here too. I will still keep Hela as the sister of them, because I use the plot of Thor 3 for this story, but keep in mind, that in this story, Hell and Hela are two different characters!
> 
> WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: Angst (because... you know... Thanos...) But apart from that I think it's still very friendly...

_Chapter 1._

The moment Thanos’ ship appeared in front of the Asgardians, Loki’s face went pale and he took an unconscious step backwards, away from the window and away from the memories. 

Didn’t work… Thanos was still there…

He didn’t notice the gasp that was leaving his lips until Thor turned towards him with a start and a concerned expression on his face.

“Brother? Who is that?” He asked and Loki took another step backwards, until he felt the edge of the stairs underneath his shoes. 

He cleared his throat, pushed a strain of hair from his face and forced his features to return to his normal, confident expression. Only that this time it was even more a mask than it was otherwise.

“Thanos,” He finally answered, not bringing himself to speak a full sentence because he knew this one name was enough.

This one name was enough to explain all the pain and suffering, all the death and destruction that had come from it in the past and will come from it again in the future. 

And Loki knew that today, he would stop running… 

He would have to stop running, because there was no other way to go anymore! There was no earth he could flee too, there was no Odin he could hide behind, there was no abyss he could fall into and there was no throne he could sit upon and pretend to have reached everything he ever wanted.

And the irony of this was, that every way he had ever used to run, had always led him right into the hands of Thanos. 

Over and over again and this time, it would be the last time… 

Because he knew, there was no way he could survive the rage of this man.

“Everyone! Prepare to fight!” Thor’s loud voice beamed through the room and Loki flinched when he was so suddenly pulled from his devastating thoughts. He forced his breathing to calm down, while the room around him erupted into chaos.

Everyone was struggling. 

They had just lost their homes, their families, their lives… There was not a single soldier still standing without pain, there was not a single soldier who could fight a battle like this.

Loki knew that. 

Thor knew that. 

The people of Asgard knew that, but they stood up relentless, grabbed their weapons and stood tall in the face of the death to come. 

“Brother can you fight?” Thor asked him, as he strapped his armor tighter around his chest and Loki looked up from where he had stared at the people surrounding him. He swallowed, then he shook his head.

“We can not fight him Thor,” He whispered, desperately trying to get his brother to understand how hopeless their situation was. 

There was no way out, no fight left! Not this time! Not against Thanos.

Thor abandoned his place in front of the window and walked towards his brother with long steps. Loki flinched when Thor’s hand gripped his shoulder tightly and he couldn’t bring himself to meet his eye. Not with the loaming presence of Thanos so clearly behind his back.

Thor smiled, when he spoke.

“We just took down a goddess. We just survived Ragnarok. We will take down this Thanos. Together. As the people of Asgard!” His voice was dripping with confidence and Loki couldn’t hold back the laughter coming out of his mouth the moment he saw his brother smile. 

“You don’t know him Thor. Not like I do,” He said with a hoarse voice and shook his head at just how clueless Thor was towards their fate.

“Then help me understand,” Thor whispered and stepped even closer. This time, Loki didn’t even try to stop himself from laughing. 

“He is a titan brother. He is the titan. He takes down worlds as he pleases, he bends minds just when he feels that way, he uses people to get what he wants. He was the one who send me down to earth, to find the Teseract and bring it to him. He is after the Infinity Stones Thor. And he knows exactly how to use them and where to find them,” He answered and really, he was going to die anyway, so why shouldn’t he tell his brother about New York? 

Why shouldn’t he try to live his last moments with the consciousness of his brother knowing why he did the biggest mistake in his life.

Loki hadn’t realised how Thor was staring at him. How the smile had faded from his lips and how his face had turned as pale as Loki’s own. And how the firmer grip on his shoulder had turned his knuckles white. 

“Okay,” He said in a low voice and Loki looked up in confusion. 

“Wait what?” 

“Okay,” Said Thor again and this time, he nodded. His visible eye was stern and with a new fire of caution and the skin around his mouth was tense as if he was clenching his teeth. 

Then he let go of Loki’s shoulder and turned around, leaving his brother gasping for air while he tried to think of something to say. He had expected a lot of reaction, but “okay” wasn’t one of them.

“Heimdall!” Thor yelled across the room and the tall swordsman pushed his way through the swaying weak people, a hand clenching his injured side and his face still sticking with blood.

Thor left his brothers side to place both hands steadily on Heimdall’s shoulders, then his eyes moved over the remaining people of Asgard and he took a deep breath. Loki knew how hard it was for him to let a fight go…

“Can you bring us all way from here?” He asked and Loki whipped his head around from where he had stared at Thanos’ ship and he opened his mouth to reject but Heimdall nodded.

“It is my duty to protect Asgard,” He answered and Thor patted his shoulder with pride, but Loki could only shake his head.

“It will still be useless!” He called over towards them, his voice still hoarse and he felt his hands trembling at his sides. There was no way to run anymore.

“He will find us regardless of where we run.” 

Thor still had his hands on Heimdall’s shoulders, but both men were looking at him, their glances guarded, like they were trying to shield themselves from his negative thinking. Loki would have laughed if the situation hadn’t been so hopeless.

Thor nodded again and Loki wanted nothing more than to punch him in his perfect teeth, just to make him _see_!

“So what, Loki?” His brother asked and there was a seriousness in his voice the black-haired man had never heard before on him. Thor really had grown through their latest adventures…

“You said if we fight, we die. Now you say if we run we will also die. Then what do you suggest brother? What is the plan?” He asked and looked from across the podium as if the situation was slowly starting to sink in on him… Knowing Thor that was just an illusion, a trick the lights were playing with Loki’s mind.

He shook his head and tore his eyes from Thor’s, to fix them again on Thanos’ ship right in front of them.

“There is no plan. Not this time,” He whispered and wondered for a moment why Thanos couldn’t have killed him off before he had to watch his home being destroyed by fire, then he gasped in realisation.

“Don’t loose hope brother, there has to be-“

“Wait!” Loki interrupted and he took a step forwards, his right hand trembling when he lifted it. He stared at his fingers, felt the magic flowing through them, then his eyes widened. 

“I think I know what he came for,” He mumbled, then turned around to face Thor and Heimdall, who were still standing near the steps, waiting patiently for him to continue. 

Loki swallowed his pride, snapped his fingers and the tesseract appeared floating above his hand.

“And I think I know how he found us,” He added in a lower voice and he could see Thor’s eyes going wide, then the blonde male stroke towards him with long steps, grabbed his wrist and pulled Loki and the tesseract closer. The black-haired god lost his balance for a second, too surprised by his brother’s sudden actions, then he pulled back, turning his wrist in Thor’s iron grip.

“Let go,” He demanded, but Thor didn’t even seem to hear him speaking.

“You stole the tesseract?” His voice was loud and angry and Loki had to hold back the word again, which was clearly not only going through his mind…

“It would have been lost in the fire,” He answered instead and remembered briefly how Selvig had called the cube _“she”_ while the two of them had worked together… He didn’t know why exactly he remembered this now, but he was pretty sure, that this piece of information was very irrelevant at the moment. 

“What were you planning on doing with it?” Thor continued asking and Loki shrugged, while he couldn’t hold back a huff of laughter. 

“I don’t know, use it? But seriously brother, this is really not the best moment to talk about my moral thoughts. Thanos is flying just outside our door and I don’t know how he is doing it, but I am sure he found us through this cube.”

Thor was still glaring at him through sparkling eyes and Loki could hear the Hulk grumbling behind him _(something that really did not help his already existing panic at the moment, thank you very much)_ but he took a deep breath and nodded, a gesture for Loki to continue.

“If Heimdall is able to send us away, he will just track the tesseract and follow us. Now, we can clearly not let the cube stay here on the ship and just up and run. I mean, I could, but then the whole universe would be in danger and I’m with that, but you’re not and I really do not want to get on the bad side of our dear green friend behind me again, so I’m going to role with your ideals. For the time being.”

“Get to the point Loki,” Thor interrupted his rambling and honestly? Loki was pretty thankful he did, because he was not sure he would have been able to stop on his own. Because what he was about to say, was very much against his own reputation and his pride could only take this much…

“If Heimdall would be able to send the people away, they would be safe from Thanos. We however…” He cleared his throat and waited for Thor to understand what he was getting at. 

“We would be dead because he could find us wherever we are with the tesseract,” His brother agreed and Loki nodded in silence. He really wasn’t interested in playing the hero, but he also knew, that Thor would never let him leave with the other people. Not with everything he knew about Thanos and his army… And the tesseract…

Thor hesitated, then he let go of Loki’s wrist and turned towards Heimdall in a silent question. The man stood up just a little straighter, then he nodded and pulled his sword out. 

“I will get them to safety,” He promised and Loki swallowed. He had always held respect for the swordsman. A lot more respect than he had held towards any of Thor’s other friends, but what his brother had not realised yet, was the price they would pay for fleeing the ship… 

_Because Heimdall would not be able to travel with them…_

“Okay,” Said Thor again and Loki took his eyes of the swordsman back to his brother.

“Get them to a save planet. But not yet, they might see what we’re trying.”

Heimdall nodded and started to walk over towards the survivors to tell them about their plan. Thor turned back towards his brother, his hand now only hovering near the tesseract.

“Loki, is there any place, Thanos would be unable to find the stone?” He asked and Loki shook his head with a grimace.

“No. It seems that Odin’s dungeons where the only place it’s magic had been concealed. Until now. I don’t think that there is something similar to-“ He cut himself off, when his mind began to wander again. 

Then his eyes suddenly widened and he looked up at Thor’s waiting eyes.

“I might now a place where the stone would be save,” He mumbled, still trying to wrap his own mind around the idea. 

Thor made a waiting hand gesture and Loki swallowed against the dryness of his throat.

“We… We’d have to go to Midgard,” He answered just as Thanos ship started firing.


	2. Chapter 2. Take your hands off me, Take your hands off me, Before I suffocate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanos enteres the Asgardian space ship, Loki has a panick attack, Tony too... And the Hulk is protective... But hey, New York is okay!! And Friday is pissed...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back guys!!  
> First of all, let me thank you all!  
> God, thank you all for the hits, kudos, subscribtions and bookmarks! Also thank you for the two people who wrote comments!  
> Guys, I don't bite ;D I'd like to hear what you think about this story!!  
> So... Yeah... In this chapter there is actually not much happening... But a lot of drama... Seems like I don't know how a fix-it works...
> 
> I'll put a link to my tumblr account in here... If you want, you can follow me there, because I'm going to post updates about this and my other stories there as well as fanart and that stuff... https://jamiepond13.tumblr.com/  
> I'm really bad with links, so this one is probably not even working... Just search for JamiePond13 :D
> 
> WARNING FOR THIS CHAPTER: Panick Attacks (2 of them) Death and if you think about it, mentions of PTSD and torture...

_Chapter. 2_

“Midgard?” Thor asked, his voice full of curiosity and irritation. 

Loki could hear the Hulk starting to move behind him at the mention of his home planet, but Loki really didn’t have any time to get into further details. 

Not like he was planning on holding back information… That too, because wisdom was power and he was definitely not ready to give that little advantage up, but he literally didn’t have time.

Because Thor hadn’t even finished the word and Thanos’ ship tagged onto the Asgardian one. 

“We need to move!” Loki pressured and Thor nodded, turned around and all eyes were immediately directed on him. 

“We’ll evacuate the ship!” His voice was loud and demanding and there were no questions asked, no drama played when the people dropped whatever they were doing and just waited, listened.

“Valkyrie, Sif, you will accompany our people wherever Heimdall might send them,” He started and both women stepped forward to protest.

“But Thor-“

“We don’t know if Loki is right! We don’t know if Thanos will follow you or us and we don’t know what will await you on the planet you will go to. They need someone in change and I could not see anyone better for this task!” 

Loki raised an eyebrow at his brother, momentarily amazed at how good he was handling the situation. 

Maybe he would have made a respectable king… You know… if there had been any kingdom left ruling… 

Valkyrie and Sif nodded and turned away to get the remaining people gathered around them. 

“Heimdall, you will-“

“I’m sorry my king, but this is as far as I go,” Heimdall interrupted Thor and Loki lowered his glance. He had known this… Thor apparently not…

The thunder god’s eyes widened and he took a step forward again in Heimdall’s direction.

“What do you mean?” He asked and Loki could here the cautious fear in his voice… Because Thor knew in his subconscious exactly what his old friend meant… Just like every single person on this ship knew.

The swordsman looked up and a sad, but determent expression was on his face while he gripped his sword more forcefully.

“I can send them to safety, but I can not accompany them. I will have to stay behind. I can not travel with you.” His voice was low and he bowed his head for a second as if he was sorry about what was waiting for him but a small smile tugged at Loki’s lips, when he saw the lack of fear in his eyes.

Because that was why he had always respected the other man. He did what needed to be done and he did it without doubt and in a heartbeat. 

“Thank you, Heimdall,” He said with all honestly and the other man nodded in his direction, while Thor still kept his eyes sternly on the swordsman.

“Heimdall, is there nothing-“

“You don’t have time my king. Now, hurry!” Heimdall said, turned around and pulled his sword while walking towards the gathered Asgardians.

Loki could see how Thor and Sif shared a short nod, then he saw Valkyrie smile at the Hulk and surprisingly, at himself too… Then there was a flash of light and they were gone.

“Thanos must have seen that!” Thor called from the other end of the room and Loki nodded in agreement, when the ship started to shake under the shier force of Thanos breaking it apart from the inside. 

“He will hurry now. And so should we,” He said, pulled a dagger from his hip and started to walk towards Heimdall. 

But again, they were running out of time… and again was it Thanos, who made that very clear with him entering the bridge. 

 

*

 

When Tony looked out of the window, he could see a New York, that was moving on.

He could see a New York that was starting to heal from all the attacks it had suffered in the past. 

He could see a New York which people were happy and safe on the streets and who finally started to be seen in pairs and groups again.

He could see a New York that had moved on from the Avengers… And from all the suffering and destruction they had brought onto them…

He blinked and his eyes focused on his own reflection in the glass. 

He knew he looked tired… He always had and honestly what could you expect from a workaholic, who barely left his lab and lived from coffee, alcohol and sandwiches alone? 

But ever since he had broken-up with Pepper, all those bad habits had started to double themselves… Well as far as it had been possible… 

Yeah, he had told Cap that they were just “taking a break”… And honestly, at that time it hadn’t even been a lie, but they were taking a break now since something about a year and a half… And Pepper had moved out all her stuff from every building Tony possessed… And she had a new boyfriend… And they had moved in together two month ago… 

So yeah… Big break…

But hey, Tony was fine with it. At least he was more fine with it than he had been during his and Cap’s fallout (“Civil war” as the media liked to call it).

They were even on speaking terms again and Pepper was still CEO of Stark Industries… So yeah… They actually considered themselves good friends now.

What a little distance could do to a relationship…

 _“Sir, there seems to be an object entering the earth’s atmosphere,”_ Friday’s voice cut through the pressuring silence inside the newly opened Stark Tower and Tony had to suppress a flinch. 

“What is it Fry?” 

_Please don’t say alien! Please don’t say alien! Please don’t s-_

_“It appears to be alien Sir.”_

Well shit…

Tony took a deep breath while his hands started to shake and his eyes shot up towards the sky even though he knew he wouldn’t be able to see anything yet.

Otherwise New York below him wouldn’t be moving on but relapsing…

He took another deep breath when he felt like the first one wasn’t even reaching his lungs and yes Friday! He knew how fucked up his vitals were at the moment! _Stop flashing that fucking alarming light!!_

_“Sir, you-“_

“How much time do we have?” He asked, cutting her off and pulled the digital watch from his wrist which was still flashing in bright red colours, reading his oxygen levels and heartbeat.

_“Sir, I would advice-“_

“Time! Friday! How much time!” Tony interrupted again impatiently and cast another quick and very much terrified glance towards the sky. Still nothing…

New York was still moving on…

 _“The ship isn’t moving Sir,”_ Friday answered and Tony would have laughed at how pissed she sounded, but he really, really had other things to think about at the moment.

“It’s waiting?” He asked and when Friday took some seconds to answer, he knew that she couldn’t quite tell.

_“My scanners can’t read much Sir. The ship is still mostly out of reach and it seems like nothing we have ever seen before.”_

Tony nodded, then he pulled a hand across his face to get himself to focus again. 

“Activate my suit,” He mumbled after a few seconds of just standing, breathing and thinking and the elevator doors behind him opened.

_“That does not appear to be a good idea Sir. My readings are barely anything to work with and we don’t know what we’re up against. I have quite some concerns about this plan… Or more, the lack of it.”_

“Noted,” Tony nodded, then he turned around, gripped the clip-phone lying on the coffee table and hurried towards the elevators.

Below the window, New York was still moving on… While Tony was the one relapsing…

 

*

 

Loki felt like he couldn’t breathe.

His eyes locked with Thanos’ and his throat closed off. 

He stumbled backwards, his hands started to shake and he felt everyone’s eyes on him, when he gasped for the air that wasn’t filling his lungs.

And then Thanos started to speak and Loki pressed a shaking hand to his lips, when a whimper escaped him.

“Well, well… If that isn’t my favourite servant,” he said and Loki felt his whole body starting to tremble so hard, his muscles started to ache. He couldn’t see Thor raising his hammer or Heimdall gripping his sword or Hulk stepping forward. 

He only saw Thanos and he only felt the pain and the lack of air that was pushing his heart to beat to fast he was afraid it would just jump out of his chest. 

A grin started to form on Thanos lips and when he took a step forwards, Loki tried to take one back but his whole body froze when he felt the wall hitting his shoulders.

_No, no, no… There is no more running…_

He jerked the hand from his mouth to gasp for air and that was when the massive body of the Hulk pushed itself between Loki and Thanos. 

Loki’s breath stopped again…

“Hulk protects!” He green giant said with his deep and angry voice and Loki stared at him in shock.  
Was this really… Nope, he could wonder about that at a different time. Because right now, he had bigger problems…

Much bigger problems, how his body reminded him in the friendly way of letting his vision get blurry.

Oh yeah… breathing… He really should do that, shouldn’t he? 

He felt his chest moving and funny, there was no air coming thought his throat… And he really was breathing rather fast…

“Loki, you have to calm down brother!” A voice suddenly whispered next to him and Loki’s eyes snapped towards his brother who was now standing rather close. 

How had he moved over towards them so quickly? 

Loki shook his head to get his thoughts back and focused on the major problem in the room… The problem that he still couldn’t breathe…

“Are you really hiding behind-“ Thanos voice cut through towards him again but before Loki even had the time to freeze or curl up into himself, the Hulk interrupted the sentence with a loud, angry scream. 

Loki blinked and suddenly felt a warm, big hand pressed against his chest, then he looked right into Thor’s concerned but strong eyes and he gave a short nod. The thunder god smiled shortly, then he moved his hand on Loki’s chest to grab his brothers still trembling shoulders and turned his head.

“Heimdall! Farewell brother!” He called out loudly and full of emotions and in the next second, Loki felt the pull of a rainbow bridge, then his world erupted into colours, then darkness…


	3. Chapter 3. A million mile from home, I'm walking ahead...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint is intimidating some people, Doctor Strange get's some visitors and Tony and Clint really don't seem to like Stephen Strange...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here I am again, with a new chapter!!  
> Thank you so much for all the reactions I got for the last one!!! Yeay!!  
> The titel is from Woodkids "Iron" this time.
> 
> **IMPORTANT:** For this chapter you should know, that I took the Clint Barton from the comics! Which means, that he is the landlord of a story building in New York Downtown and really is a human desaster! And Laura Barton is not his wife but his SISTER!! (I made that up I know, but leaving her out would have changed too much for Civil War but I just couldn't leave her as his wife, because that wouldn't fit in with the comic-Clint.
> 
> WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: Mentions of depression, some angst and Clint being a human desaster...

_Chapter 3._

 

Yeah okay, this was bad…

Clint had a feeling like he was saying those lines way too often in his life… Maybe he really did need a normal job…

A normal job besides being an ex-Avenger and current landlord of a very broken and very old story building in downtown New York…

Oh and he was currently standing in front of said story building, holding his bow in position and waiting for the rowdies who had threatened to take down his house… Again…

Why did they always try to kill him and his neighbours? Wasn’t there a perfectly big newly built Stark Tower somewhere in this city where they could live out their fighting wishes all day long? 

Tony surely wouldn’t mind…

“Move out of the way Hawkguy!” One of the guys with a baseball bat called over from the cars standing in a circle around the front door. There were five cars and maybe twenty guys, but Clint wasn’t completely sure.

He huffed a sigh and pulled back the bowstring a little more just for the dramatic effect.

“The name is _Hawkeye_ and no thank you, I quite like this spot here!” He called back towards them and he knew for every civilian passing this scene must look quite hilarious… 

Hawkeye standing with his bow between his run-down house and some guys wearing masks and baseball bats and they were yelling at each other… Yeah if he was honest, this summed up his life pretty well…

“You’re already dead on your feet, we really wouldn’t want to kill an Avengers, right boys?” The same guy yelled again and Clint had to give him that, he was not completely wrong…

He knew that if he looked in a mirror right now, he’d probably have nightmares for weeks… On top of his already existing nightmares of course…

He wasn’t wearing his Hawkeye outfit (not anymore since it was confiscated by the UN) but some old sweatpants and a dirty and torn t-shirt which was definitely too big for him. He had bags under his eyes that could maybe even compete to Tony’s after the whole Ultron stuff and he was covered in cuts and bandages and plasters…

But honestly, he was sure there were times where he had looked worse…

For example, after the whole “Civil war” crap between Tony and Cap… He knew what he had done and for which side he had stood up but in the aftermath he hadn’t been so sure anymore… And cutting that deal with the UN was only so he wouldn’t spend his life on the run… Again…

He knew the deal was stupid. 

He knew that everything he got from it was that he didn’t have any metal bars around his cell any longer…   
New York was his cell now, since he wasn’t allowed to leave the city or play hero (a part of the deal he obviously followed very seriously). 

Not playing the hero anymore was totally fine with him! Honestly, he had a dog to take care of as well as a friend and a house of neighbours, but not being able to leave New York had been a tough decision.

Because that meant he wasn’t able to visit his sister Laura and her kids in the countryside for quite some time…

But Laura had said it was okay. If she was able to find a quiet moment she would grab the kids and visit. 

Well assuming there still was a house he could be visited at…

“Are you deaf or just dumb? I said move it!” The guy’s voice pulled Clint from his thoughts and he blinked a few times until his focus was back on the situation at hand.

“As a matter of fact,” He started mumbling didn’t finish the sentence because honestly if he had learned just one thing from being a spy most of his life, telling your enemy one of your weaknesses was a really stupid idea. He was better off with the guy thinking he was so incredibly funny.

“And I said I don’t want to move!” He answered in a louder voice this time and a smirk appeared on his face when he could see the guy finally jumping down from his jeep. He had his bat resting on his shoulder, his chin raised in confidence and when he grinned Clint saw that two of his teeth were missing…

Already missing… Clint intended to take quite a few more of his in a couple of minutes.

“Suite yourself. Then I guess we’ll have to take you down on our way in. Or what are you playing at? Waiting for your friends to arrive?” His grin grew even wider and he was now looking like a shark… A toothless shark…

“No wait, you don’t have any friends left, do you? The Avengers aren’t there anymore. They are just some stupid terrorist waiting for their arrest. So no one is coming to help your little bird-ass,” He mocked and Clint nodded, because honestly, what could he do but agree.

Actually, the man wasn’t completely wrong!

“Well it’s one against what? 20? 25? More maybe? You said it yourself, you could easily take me out, so why don’t you? You’re still talking just as if you’re hoping I would just back off and let you go your merry way,” Clint yelled towards him, his smirk turning into a more confident grin. 

“So therefore, you don’t actually want to attack me. Which means, you’re afraid of me and I’m actually doing a pretty good job at intimidating you and your flying monkeys!” 

He really was proud of himself because he knew, he was everything but intimidating with how beat-up he looked at the moment. 

The guy who obviously thought himself as the leader, stepped closer and pulled his bat from his shoulders, while Clint raised the bow just a bid as a warning.

“Oh don’t be so full of yourself Hawkguy,” He laughed and when Clint opened his mouth to answer, a very strange and very colourful circle appeared between him and the guy. It grew and grew and sparks jumped into every direction and then a man in a strange, red cape stepped out of it and onto the pavement.

And if Clint hadn’t fought against the Chitauri, Ultron and Natasha he would most definitely be very terrified at the moment. But now this only confused him…

“Hawkeye,” The man greeted in an accent Clint couldn’t quite place and just to be on the save side of this situation he raised his bow a little higher.

“Uh… Yeah?” 

The man nodded in satisfaction and cleared his throat to explain whatever had brought him to walk through a portal when his eyes took in the situation and he frowned in confusion.

“What are you doing?” He asked, his glance switching between Clint’s bow and scuffed clothes and the armed men surrounding them.

“I am… intimidating them?” Clint answered and it sounded more like a question to him than an answer and the strange man raised an eyebrow. The man behind him were retreating with fear and confusion on their faces.

“You are?” The strange man asked and Clint lowered his bow in offence, then the man shrugged his shoulders and turned back towards Barton. 

“My name is Doctor Strange, I’m a sorcerer and the leader of the Masters of Mystic Arts,” He introduced himself and Clint just nodded… Because why the hell not…

“And your presence is requested, so move along Hawkeye,” He added and turned around to step into that creepy portal of his through which Clint would most definitely not go!

“Woah! Wait up Strange-guy! I don’t care who you are or how you got here, but I will not jump into that thing right there if you don’t give me a really, really good reason right now!” Clint said and pointed at the portal which was still spinning and sparkling right in front of his doorstep…

And he had thought he would just have to intimidate a few rowdies today…

Doctor Strange turned back towards him and his expression was annoyed as if the answer was so obvious…

“Because there is a spaceship in the sky threatening to kill every single life on this earth and we need every help we can find to stop that from happening,” He explained and Clint nodded. Because yes, that was actually a good reason.

“Oh and we found this Banner-friend of yours,” Strange added and Clint pulled the bow over his head and stepped forward.

Because that, was a very good reason to jump through that portal there.

“Well then, lead the way wizard,” He nodded and Strange rolled his eyes.

 

*

 

When Loki felt solid ground beneath him, he finally dared to open his eyes again…

He was lying on wooden floor of some building he really couldn’t identify but there were people standing above him and those people were human! 

Which means he was on earth! 

“Brother are you okay?” Thor’s voice cut though his trail of thoughts and he huffed a short laugh while he laid his head back against the broken wood beneath him. 

Because honestly, he felt so numb right now! 

He couldn’t fell his body and his mind was all over the place… As was his magic but he was sure that no one except himself could see that, because otherwise that would have been embarrassing… 

“Brother?” Thor asked again, more urgent and concerned this time and Loki put in all the effort he could to raise a thumb.

“I’m fine Thor,” He whispered and winced when he heard how hoarse his voice sounded in his own ears. 

But apparently it was enough to satisfy his brothers worries because the blonde man turned and talked to someone who was presumably Banner… Or rather the Hulk since the reply was more than angry. 

Loki turned his attention towards the two male humans standing above then on some sort of staircase, their faces confused and their armed up in fighting positions… Oh and there was this weird glowing and sparkling magic surrounding their hands… 

“Thanos is coming,” Was everything Loki’s hoarse voice managed to form and he would have slapped himself across the face for how crude and stupid he sounded.

The men above them blinked, then the one with the weird red cape lowered his arms and frowned.

“Who?”

 

*

 

Tony hadn’t even left the lift when Friday announced a security breach and a man with a weird red coat stepped through a portal right in front of him.

“Okay,” Tony nodded and raised his hands in an attempt to defend himself. 

Yes… That guy had just appeared out of thin air… Surely he would take him with his bare hands!

“Tony Stark?” The guy asked and Tony took a step backwards, silently thanking Friday for opening the lift doors. But not closing them again, since the guy stepped right between them.

“I mean no harm,” The weird coat guy reassured and Tony just nodded.

“Yeah of course,” He answered and his voice was dripping with sarcasm… Because that’s what they always said.

“My name is Doctor Strange and you need to come with me, otherwise this spaceship waiting in front of the earth, is going to attack and we’re going to lose,” He continued and Tony dropped his fists. 

“I’m actually on my way to fight that thing right now,” Tony answered and Doctor Strange (who picked those stupid names??) raised his eyebrows. 

“On your own? I have some friends of yours at my home and they specifically asked me to bring to there. Now,” He pressured and took a step back towards his portal.

Tony considered for a moment but then again, having a witch on your side who could step through portals probably wasn’t the worst thing in a fight…

“Friday?” He asked towards the ceiling and while Strange looked at him in irritation, he could hear the lab doors opening behind the portal.

_“All ready Sir,”_ The AI answered and a small, blue light pushed past the Doctor and settled down on top of Tony’s glowing arc reactor.

“Now I’m ready to go,” He said addressing the strange man and Red-Coat nodded, turned and stepped through the portal. Tony followed with hesitation.

 

He had expected a lot! 

He had expected it to be a trap and being stabbed in the back the second he left the portal. 

He had expected it to be a trap and falling to his death the second he left the portal.

He had expected to see Captain America standing on the other side, smiling smoothly and full of arrogance and ignorance.

And he had expected to meet up some other weird people in weird red coats waiting for him to fight the spaceship with them.

What he had not expected, was Loki!

Loki of all people who sat on the stairs in front of him, his hair a long mess, his face and clothes dirty with dust and cut at multiple places and his green eyes widening in something like fear, when they met Tony’s.

His suit formed around him without him even noticing it at first, but then he took a defensive step back and pulled his arms upwards. The reactors were humming with power.

Then there was Thor stepped between them, his hair short, clothes as dirty as his brothers and his eyes desperate. 

“Please! Don’t fight!” He called out and Tony took in a deep breath when he felt his own hands trembling.

He suddenly felt the very dominant urge to step away from any window in his reach.

_“What_ is he doing here?” He asked and his voice sounded pressed and shaky. 

He didn’t like how weak he sounded.

Thor turned fully towards him, his body shielding his brother from Iron Man’s sight.

“He is fighting on our side! Believe me!” He said with a force in his voice that helped Tony back to focus on the situation.

“Spaceship,” He mumbled out of context but Thor seemed to understand and nodded.

“Yes. Thanos is after us. And he is going to destroy the earth if we don’t do something about it.”

Tony blinked and the faceplate of his armor disappeared while he lowered his arms.

“Thanos?” He asked but instead of Thor it was Loki who answered this time.

“A mad titan out to find all six infinity stones. We believe he wants to conquer the entire galaxy.” His voice sounded hoarse and quietly but Tony couldn’t help but snicker.

“Oh please. Shouldn’t you be kneeling at his feet to go and help him?” He provoked and Thor stoop up straighter, while Loki seemed to sink in on himself.

“My brother is here to help Stark! Do not try and test me about it!” 

Tony scoffed but lowered his arms completely and turned with a start, when he heard a familiar roaring.

“Hulk my friend!” He said with a growing smile on his face and even the mood of the green giant seemed to lighten up. 

He was sitting on the ground, legs crossed under his body and hands placed on his knees. 

Tony stepped closed and tapped a finger against his arc reactor. His armor pulled back into the small blue light and he raised his hands in a non-threatening manner.

“Hey buddy. It’s me, Tony. Want to let Brucy out, so we can have a little chat?” He asked carefully but Hulk scoffed and shook his head offendedly. 

“Everyone wants little Banner,” He said and turned his face away. 

Tony winced but still forced a smile on his face.

“I like you too buddy, believe me. But I kind of need Bruce right now, for… science stuff… I know how much that bores you, so…” He tried again and the Hulk rolled his eyes, then he shrugged and stood.

“Okay,” He mumbled nearly as if he was upset.

Tony made a mental note to buy him sweets the next time the Hulk took over (just to keep his surroundings intact…) and waited patiently, while the Hulk shrunk down and his skin started to change from green to human.

When Bruce appeared and lost his balance, Tony stepped forward and held him up carefully with both hands.

“You okay?” He asked and Bruce blinked a few times, then his eyes focused on Tony and he threw his arms around Iron Man to pull him into a strong hug.

“God Tony! I missed you!” He mumbled and Tony huffed a laugh, then he nodded and brought his arms around Bruce’s back.

“Missed you too buddy, missed you too.”


	4. Chapter 4. Nowhere to run from this, No way to forget

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki explaines his plan, Tony hates it and Clint is not amused... Oh and Bruce tells people to shut up...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!  
> And thank you sooooooooooooo much for all the support you give for this story!!!   
> THANK YOU!  
> The titel for this chapter is from the song "Meet me on the battlefield" by Svrcina...
> 
> WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: Mention of death and the start of a panic attack

_Chapter 4._

 

Loki cast his eyes away from the two scientists when they stood in the middle of the room in a tight embrace.

He couldn’t help but feel slightly thankful for Dr Banner to take back control because he might have fought at the Hulk’s side, but he still could not shake his memories from when the green beast had smashed him into the ground five years ago. 

When Loki heard the two men stepping apart he looked up and saw Thor still standing protectively in front of him. 

“I think it’s okay brother,” He mumbled but the blonde god just crossed his arms in front of his chest. Loki could see his one eye moving between Stark and Strange and Loki couldn’t help but grimace.

He really had not wanted to see the doctor with his red cloak again anytime soon. 

Stark had taken a step back from his friend and turned towards the other people in the room and Loki could see the tension going back into his body while he seemed to try and look relaxed when he plastered a smug grin onto his lips.

“So… Princess, what did you get yourself into now huh?” He asked, addressing Thor but before he could answer, Loki raised his voice.

“King!” He said with a loud voice (as loud as his hoarse voice managed anyway) and Stark’s eyes turned cold when they landed on him.

“Pardon?” He asked and Loki gestured towards his bother and pushed the urge to stand up to be tall and defensive down with a deep breath. He didn’t want to start a fight right now and honestly, he did not trust his jelly-like legs at the moment. 

Thanos’ laughter still sat deep in his bones…

“Thor is King now. Father died,” He explained and Stark raised his eyebrows and his glance turned softer when he looked back at the god of thunder in front of him. 

“Sorry to hear that. But King of Asgard? Congratulations Conan.” He sounded generous but Thor shook his head in sadness.

“King of the people of Asgard. Or what is left of them. Asgard was destroyed,” He said and Stark’s face paled while Banner came up behind him. 

“Wait, really?” He asked horrified. “I was already wondering why I woke up here of all places. We are on earth, right?” 

Thor snapped his finger in realisation and his sadness from moments ago seemed to be washing away.

“Ah of course! You missed quite a lot my friend. We managed to save most of the Asgardian people, then unleashed Ragnarok and destroyed Hela and Asgard in the process. Then Thanos found our spaceship, Heimdall gave his life to send the people to a secure place and us here to earth to warn the Avengers that Thanos…” He paused midsentence and turned towards Loki with a start.

“What are we here for? You said you knew why he was following us and how he found us and that we needed to come to earth. But why?” 

Stark and Banner both blinked in confusion, then Stark shook his head and took a step towards the brothers again.

“Wait what? I’ll just gonna ignore the whole crazy story beforehand and why the hell you’re a freaking pirate now, but what I really, really want to know is; Why the HELL WOULD YOU COME HERE IF THAT FREAK WAS AFTER YOU?” His voice had hit a panicked hitch at the end of his sentence and Loki winced at the volume, but honestly, he understood.

And he never wanted to say again that he understood why Tony Stark, a HUMAN was freaking out…

Thor turned towards his brother with expectance in his eyes and Loki sighed, then he opened his hand and the Tesseract appeared out of nowhere.

Bruce turned away with a deep sigh, while Tony lowered his head in his hand and Strange and his friend stepped closer with interest and irritation on their faces.

“Why?” Stark asked and if Loki would have had time, he would have laughed at how 100% done the man sounded by now.

Instead he rose to his unsteady feet and took a step closer, only for Stark to back off with a guarded expression.

Loki sighed. 

“Thanos is after the infinity stones. There are six. He wants every singe one and then he can rule over the whole bloody galaxy. And he has found a way to sense them or locate them or whatever. But he knows that the Tesseract came to earth with us. And he also knows that the mind stone and the time stone are in this solar system as well, most likely here on earth, because you humans just can’t stay out of shit, can you? One would think that each solar system is rotating around their own suns but around this stupid little planet.” 

Loki couldn’t help it but also raise his voice because why the bloody hell was he always pulled into this?   
Every single fight he had fought since he had been told of his true identity had somehow been linked to Thanos and now… Now was the endgame. And he knew very well that he wasn’t ready for it.

Stark’s eyes moved from the Tesseract up to Loki’s green eyes, then back down again and he frowned.

“So if we already have two of those stones here, why bring a third one? Shouldn’t you try to bring it everywhere _but_ here?” He asked and Loki nodded because yes, that actually was a good question. 

“We have to hide it. And like I said Thanos can sense it somehow,” He began, then he lowered his eyes from Stark’s head down to his chest.

“Do you remember how I tried to control you with my sceptre and it somehow did not work on you?”

Stark nodded, looking irritated, then his eyes widened in understanding and his own look snapped down towards his Arc reactor.

Loki nodded and a smirk formed on his lips.

“Somehow the element you created is able to withstand the power of an infinity stone. So if we hide one inside your reactor, it should not only be able to keep the magic out, but also to keep the magic in,” He explained and while the people around them started to move in realisation, Stark only gasped and shook his head. 

“No way!” He said and took a step back. “No way am I going to let you place that thing _inside my fucking chest_!” His tone turned into yelling and Loki held himself back, while Banner rushed forward and placed a gentle Hand on Starks shoulder. 

“Tony! Tony it’s okay, I’m sure there is another way,” He said with force behind his words which was directed not only at Tony, but also at Loki.

The god of mischief shook his head.

“I’m sorry but there is not,” He answered and Stark laughed, then he pulled a hand across his face.

“What use would it have anyway? Thanos already knows the stone is here, you said it yourself!”

“Yes but if he arrives, he will not be able to tell where exactly. That will give us time and maybe the advantage we need!”

Loki took a step forwards again but Stark backed off and with a quick step Banner stood between them. 

“Loki be completely honest with me, is there a possibility that this thing when placed inside Tony will hurt him?” He asked and his voice was colder, more professional than Loki had ever heard him. He swallowed and looked down at the cube levitating above his hand.

“I… No. The forcefield of the element should be enough to hold the stones power. If not I will strengthen it with my magic,” He answered and Stark’s laughing turned hysteric.

“What the hell? I don’t want your magic in my body as well!” He yelled and Banner held up his hands in a calming gesture. 

 

“Okay, let me talk to him,” He said and Loki actually backed off with a short nod. Banner turned towards Strange, who held himself kindly in the background.

“Could you get the other Avengers?” He asked and while Strange opened his mouth in hesitation, Tony waved him off.

“The Avengers don’t exist anymore Bruce,” He said and Bruce turned towards him with a start.

“What?” He asked confused.

“Steve and I had a fight. A big one. Like, destroying an airport kind of big… And now half of the former Avengers are condemned criminals and the other half has kind of disappeared. And Rhodey is in a fucking wheelchair for most of the time and Steve and Barnes went off to have their romantic holidays somewhere and-“

“Tony!” Bruce interrupted, slightly panicking himself when he saw his friend struggling for breath and heard his rambling. “Breathe.”

Stark nodded, crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned slightly forward while he was trying to take a deep breath. It still left him struggling and his whole body started to twitch while his chest tried to move in jerking motions.

Bruce placed a calming hand on his back and watched his friend with worry, while Loki stepped back further and Thor inched closed.

“So… does that mean, that we have to assemble the Avengers?” The blonde god asked in a low voice and Bruce wanted to tell him to shut up but Tony waved at him from his forward leaning position.

“What’s left of them anyway…” He seemed to try and take a deep breath again, then he stood back up straight and pulled his hands across his face. 

“I’m good,” He mumbled in Bruce’s direction, who did not seem convinced, but he didn’t push it. Tony drew in a deep, shaking breath and nodded towards Strange.

“Clint is in Downtown New York. He is the only one I know where to find so it would probably be a good idea to go fetch him,” He explained and Strange nodded, then he turned away and opened a portal to step through it. 

“Now. About the Tesseract,” Loki started, but Bruce turned towards him with a furious look on his face.

“He just had the start of a panic attack Loki! Maybe not the best time to bring that subject up again!” He hissed, but Loki rolled his eyes.

“And does that make him unable of answered a question that could save the universe?”   
Bruce opened his mouth to protest, but Tony clapped his shoulder with a shake of his head and took a step in Loki’s direction.

“You know what? What do I have to lose? Go on. Do your magic shit and then leave me the fuck alone, because I can’t honestly stand your face for another minute!” His voice was low and sounded more defeated than angry to Bruce, but he did not raise his own voice again to protest.

Because if Loki was right about this plan, it was the best shot they had.

Loki nodded and that was the moment when Clint Barton stepped through the portal and laid eyes on him.

“Oh hell no!” He mumbled, raised his bow and let go of the arrow.


	5. Chapter 5. It's a day that I'll never miss...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanos' children arrive on earth, Clint and Loki have some issues and Loki is fluid ;D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOD I'M SO SORRY!!!  
> I had exams and I totally forgot about this story!!  
> Now I feel bad leaving you with such a cliff hanger!  
> But here is some drama to make up for all the other drama!!  
> And we have genderfluid Loki!  
> And I should really delete the fix-it tag....
> 
> WARNING FOR THIS CHAPTER: Some panic, a heart attack (literally) and some drama

_Chapter 5._

 

Clint Barton was not a violent person per say. He would shoot anybody who dared to say otherwise…

But the moment he saw the long, black hair, the tall, pride stance and those eyes… God, they might have a different colour now, but he would never forget how they stared at him… How they stared into him…

His body acted on it’s on, raising the bow, pulling the string back and releasing the arrow pointing at Loki’s face. His complete concentration was fixed on the black-haired god in front of him, so he didn’t see the room erupt into chaos and he flinched back, when an arm was suddenly held between the arrow and Loki’s head. 

Thor had acted faster than anyone had ever seen him moving. He had grabbed his brothers shoulder with one hand and pulled him back against his chest while his other hand had shot forward, blocking the arrow in its way.

He blinked in confusion and admiration when the arrow managed to push through the metal of his bracer and his thick skin. His eyes moved from the weapon to his archer friend and he nodded shortly to himself; yes, there was indeed a reason this man was the best shot on earth!

Then he rushed forward, when he saw said man pull the string back and take aim for a second time.

“Stop this madness friend!” He yelled and grabbed the archer’s hands in one fast motion, then he pulled the bow from his grip, the arrows falling to the ground.

Clint struggled against his grip but when his eyes fell onto Bruce and Tony standing close by, watching the scene in front of them with wide eyes, he stilled down, taking a deep breath and fixating his eyes on Loki again.

“What is going on?” He asked quietly and tried getting his senses together.

Tony to his right took a steep forward, shushing Bruce off of him in the same motion and straightening his suit. 

“Alien spaceship in the sky! Again!” He called out, seeming a lot happier than his eyes said he was, but Clint couldn’t concentrate on him at the moment.

“What is _he_ doing here?” He pointed with his chin towards Loki since his hands were still being crushed in Thor’s grip. But he wasn’t going to say anything about the hold since it was weirdly grounding.

Thor shifted slightly to block his brother from the archer’s view, but when he noticed Clint struggling in rising panic again, he moved back to his former place, with Clint watching Loki over his shoulder. 

“Friend Barton, it is so good to see you again!” Thor said with a bright smile growing on his face, but Clint’s face grew frustrated. 

“Thor. Happy to see you again man, but seriously! _What is Loki doing here and why can’t I shoot him_?” He asked and his hands clenched into fists, while he and Loki locked eyes, both of them looking equally angry and frightened. 

When Thor opened his mouth to find a calming answer, Loki stepped forward and around his brother, now standing next to the archer, who instantly flinched back. 

Loki cleared his throat and kept his hands steady beside his body so show he wasn’t armed. 

“I mean you no harm archer. No-one in this room has to be afraid of me. We have a common enemy, Thanos. He is about to destroy the universe and his children are currently flying in the space ship above this planet. I promise, I have no ill intentions against you or your raise,” He said as calmly as he could manage, but the archer still looked unconvinced and Loki sighed in frustration.

“What do I have to say for you to at least not kill me until we have dealt with Thanos?” He asked and Barton raised an eyebrow.

“Nothing. Do you even have the slightest clue what you did?” His voice was a low hiss and Loki saw Thor’s grip hardening for a moment and he wondered how the archer hadn’t yet yelled out in pain, but then again, his whole body was literally covered in bandages, maybe he felt pain differently. Interesting…

Loki blinked at his words and tried not to show his frustration.

“I killed a lot of your people. I am aware of that. I also killed a friend of yours on that aircraft and I destroyed part of your city. If you want me to apologize for that, be my guest. I am sorry for my actions and I regret attacking your planet.” His words sounded stiff and Loki couldn’t help the nagging guilt rising up in his chest when he realised that those words were only partially right… 

The archer laughed humourless. 

“Oh yeah. That was horrible and I don’t know how an apology is supposed to fix that, but what I was talking about was myself!” He answered and Loki blinked in confusion. 

“I’m sorry?” 

Barton took a step closer and Thor shifted so that his body was partially between his brother and the archer again. 

“You were inside my head,” Barton whispered and Loki froze. 

Because yes. He remembered that.

He remembered reading the other man’s thoughts, his wished, his past, his memories, his anxieties…  
Everything about him. 

And he also remembered what happened to himself, to Loki at that time and those memories let his hands clench tightly into fists to stop them from shaking. 

“I… I am truly sorry for that,” He mumbled, this time with complete honesty and apparently Barton saw this change too, because he backed off, his eyes wide and his hands trembling slightly in Thor’s grip. 

He swallowed drily, then he looked up at the black-haired god again, a conflicted expression on his features.

“Why did you do it?” He asked quietly and Loki was taken aback by the question, then he shrugged and looked away.

“That is non of your business,” He mumbled, but Clint scoffed.

“I saw something you know? Apparently, this connection went both ways. But I don’t know how much of it was true and how much you wanted me to believe was true. So…?” He asked and Loki flinched back, then his eyes locked with the archer. 

They stared at each other for a few seconds, then Loki looked away again and Clint nodded.

“Okay. Thor, you can let go. I won’t shoot him until the space ship is dealt with.” 

Thor’s eyes moved from Clint to Loki and back, but when neither of them showed any sign of hostility towards the other, he slowly and carefully opened his hands. Clint took a few steps back the moment he was freed from the grip again and suddenly Bruce stood next to him and pulled him into a tight hug.

Clint blinked in confusion, then he slowly raised his hands and patted the other man’s back with a soft smile on his lips.

“Where have you been man? We missed you,” He mumbled quietly and Bruce stepped back but his hand stayed on Clint’s shoulder. The archer didn’t know if it was to ground him or just to make sure neither of them disappeared again, but he didn’t mind at all.

“Yeah… uh… Long and weird story. Short version, I was in space, met Thor in a fight, then tried to save Asgard with him, Loki and Valkyrie, then Thor’s mad older sister destroyed it, or rather, she was killed while trying to rule it and a creepy fire demon destroyed it and then we were attacked on our way with the last people of Asgard to get here. Thanos attacked our space ship and tried to take the Tesseract from Loki, who now wants to hide it inside of Tony’s arc reactor so Thanos can’t find it and use it to destroy the universe. Oh and we also have to save the other infinity stones,” Bruce rambled down and Clint just nodded, then shook his head and nodded again.

“Yeah no. That is not going to stay in my head and yes. That sounds weird.” 

He scoffed. “And I thought me fighting off rowdies from destroying my apartment was exciting,” He mumbled sarcastically, but then his eyes focussed on Bruce again, this time more seriously.

“Do you trust him?” He asked quietly, nodding towards Loki and Bruce followed his glance, then his lips turned up into a small smile.

“Yes I do actually. I believe people are able to change, and Loki proved that to me. I mean, he can still betray us.” He shrugged and then moved closer to the archer to the others, who were now starting a conversation with Strange, wouldn’t hear him.

“And honestly, that kind of panic he had when Thanos appeared, he did not fake that. He is terrified of him,” He whispered and Clint looked back towards Loki, then nodded slowly.

“Yeah and I think I know why,” He mumbled, but then shook his head when Bruce looked at him curiously.

“People! Giant space ship in the sky?” Tony suddenly called out and everyone turned towards him with a frown. 

“Yes. We are indeed aware of that,” Loki hissed, but Tony rolled his eyes.

“No seriously people! We have to start doing something! It’s getting closer! Very fast!” He said from his place next to the window and pointed out towards the sky and the screaming and running people and immediately everyone in the room sprang into action. 

Loki stepped forward. 

“Stark, I need to implant the Tesseract, otherwise Thanos will know where it is. Now!” He said urgently and Tony nodded with a grimace. 

“I have a spare reactor in my lab. Otherwise I would die while you placed that thing inside me. Bruce can help maybe?” He asked towards the doctor and Banner nodded. 

Strange stepped forward, his hand with the ring raised.

“Alright. I will open a portal for Stark, Banner and Loki to get to the lab. Barton, Thor and I will hold off whatever comes from that ship. Understood?” Everyone in the room nodded.

“Then move!” Strange called, opened the portal and closed it again, after Tony, Bruce and Loki jumped through it. 

Clint gathered his bow and arrows from the ground, then followed Thor and Strange when the later opened the front doors of the building. 

“And here we go again,” He mumbled and tightened his grip around the bow, while Thor patted his shoulder with a bright smile on his face.

“I am glad to fight at your side again, Hawkeye,” He nodded and Clint pulled a grimace which was supposed to be a smile.

“Technically I’m not even allowed to fight anything at the moment. But hey, the UN should make an exception for aliens in the sky, right?” He shrugged to himself, then pulled the string back and stood up straighter, waiting for the space ship to touch down and release whoever was willing to face the pissed off archer…

 

**

 

Tony stumbled over one of Dum-E’s cables the moment he stepped out of the portal and hadn’t it been for Loki’s hand, that wrapped around his arm, he would sure have fallen flat on his face. 

And Tony didn’t know which outcome was better…

“Let go of me,” He hissed the moment he found his balance again and Loki pulled his hand back as if he had burned himself. 

Bruce rolled his eyes at them, then strode past them towards the working tables. 

“Tony. The spare act reactor! We have to move fast!” He reminded, then got rid of his jacket and Tony nodded, while running towards one of the cabinets to search through them. 

Loki stepped next to Bruce, then closed his eyes and opened his palm to the Tesseract levitating above it.  
It gave off a cold heat which was hard to explain, but everyone in the room felt it and knew not to get too close. 

“Got it!” Tony yelled from the cabinets, then pulled out something that looked like an older version of his reactor, ran back to the table and placed it in front of Bruce. 

Stark immediately started removing vires and covers, then connected cables and the blue light at the front started to glow. Tony nodded to himself, then took a screwdriver and very carefully lifted the top cover off the actual reactor inside. 

“Okay,” He mumbled and turned towards Loki. 

“Now get that thing in there.”

The god nodded and urged Tony and Bruce to step aside, then then lowered his hand and clenched it, the Tesseract broke into a thousand pieces. Left was a glowing stone, not bigger than a child’s eye. 

He slowly lowered it into the reactor itself, his green glowing magic guiding the light blue stone, then he pushed harder and the stone melted into the metal around it. 

“Close it,” He nodded towards Tony and the engineer took the screwdriver again, then connected the cover back above the glowing element.

Bruce clenched his hands nervously. 

“Do we… do we really need to place it in? I mean, we could leave the arc reactor connected here and not risk Tony’s life in the process?” He asked carefully, but Tony shook his head.

“As much as I would like that Brucy, the reactor is not working on full capacity out here. It’s only doing that, connected to the vires inside my chest together with the magnet and all the other stuff… I never thought it would be necessary to build something similar outside my body,” He answered with a grimace, then turned the reactor inside his chest and the glowing underneath his shirt stopped.

As did his heart apparently…

Loki took a step back when Tony lowered himself carefully on one of the chairs and Bruce sprang into action, with a horrified expression on his face.

“Give a man a warning!” He yelled, then pulled Tony’s shirt up and slowly lifted the arc reactor out of his chest and onto the table. 

Loki had to say, he wasn’t quite fond of what he saw. Yes, he didn’t like the human sitting there, but seeing him with a literal hole in his chest while he tried to solve Loki’s mistakes was something that let his guilt rise up again.

He tied to look away when Stark became several shades paler but he couldn’t bring himself to do that. 

Especially not, when Bruce pulled him closer with a trembling hand.

“Hold him. I think he is about to pass out!” The words rushed out of the scientist but Loki nodded and stepped around the chair to lower his hands and Stark’s slumped shoulders. 

Bruce fiddled with the arc reactor lying on the table now, then his eyes moved back to Tony and he swallowed. It had nearly given him a heart attack seeing the other man suddenly removing the reactor from his chest and he couldn’t keep his hands from trembling when he started connecting the vires of the new reactor. 

Somewhere back in his mind he wondered why the Hulk wasn’t knocking to come out already, but he dismissed it as soon as Tony’s eyelids started to drop.

“Tony! Hey Tony! No, no, no, no don’t do that! Look at me!” He yelled in fear and the reactor in his hand slipped through his fingers for a moment but he could catch it before it could fall.

Loki’s hands on Tony’s shoulders tightened but he did not try to shake him awake again for which Bruce was thankful, since he lowered his hand into the engineer’s chest that very moment. 

It was weird… Reaching into your friend like that… But Bruce couldn’t let himself think of that right now because otherwise he would flinch back and probably throw up… He needed to connect the vires, otherwise Tony wasn’t the only one who was going to die… Thanos would find them and he would kill them and he would…

“Banner,” Loki’s low voice interrupted his thoughts and the scientist blinked, then his head shot up.

“Sorry!” He mumbled, then connected the first cable, then the second and then the third. He pulled his hand out slowly, then pressed the arc reactor in and turned it.

Tony took a deep breath the moment the light started to glow brightly and his eyes fluttered open while he nearly chocked on his hectic breathes.

“Tony! Hey, look at me! Slow breaths!” Bruce said calmly and placed both his hands on his friend’s neck to lock eyes with him. 

Tony flinched startled, then he blinked and let out a breathy laugh. 

“Hah. Good to see you. Seriously Bruce, you have no idea how good it is to see you!” He laughed and Bruce panicked for a moment that Tony had forgotten that they already greeted each other, but then his friend stood up on weak legs and shoved Loki’s hands off him.

“Now let’s go destroy a space ship,” He grinned and Bruce released his neck but raised an eyebrow.

“Are you sure that is wise for you now?” He asked, but Tony just waved him off.

“Ah, don’t care. Loki, that stone secure now?” 

The god nodded shortly, but his thoughts seemed to be elsewhere, so Tony turned around again.  
He placed the second reactor-like thing from earlier on his chest again and his armour build itself around him. 

He walked a few steps into the direction of the lift but when he saw the other two weren’t following yet, his mask disappeared again and he turned around with a frown.

“What’s up people? Man up, we got aliens to fight!” He called and while Bruce nodded and walked up to him, Loki just started to grin. 

“Sorry Stark. I can’t “man up”,” He answered but before the others had a chance to reply, green light erupted around the god and Loki’s appearance changed.

“But I can woman up. Now move it,” She grinned and walked past two stunned Avengers towards the lift, her long, black hair waving with every step behind her.


End file.
